Secretary of State Kim Wyman was honored Wednesday as a “woman of distinction” by the Girl Scouts of Western Washington.

At a crowded Olympia hotel ballroom, she joined fellow honorees Eileen McKenzies Sullivan, director of Senior Services for South Sound, and Erin Jones, director of equity and achievement for the Federal Way schools.  Each told of their own scouting experience and how it helped forge a path of public service.

Wyman, the only woman statewide executive official, was teary as she recalled her own scouting days and how the Girl Scouts were a huge benefit for her daughter, Renee, a recent Gonzaga graduate and crew member who heads to law school this fall.  Wyman said some of her first major volunteer work was as a “cookie mom” and “troop mom.”

Wyman said:

“We learned we could be part of something bigger than ourselves … and how to be a good leader.”

The annual awards honor women of achievement in Thurston County. Gov. Chris Gregoire, education activist Thelma Jackson and natural resources expert Kaleen Cottingham were the 2012 honorees.